Legislation re-introduced by U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Kelly) and a group of bipartisan lawmakers would ramp up testing and treatment of PFAS contamination in private wells. PFAS are a group thousands of human-made chemicals used in industrial and consumer goods. Exposure has linked to health issues like cancer.
The legislation would allow states to use $5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Kelly says the change will help ensure funding reaches communities that rely on those wells — like those in rural and small areas.
Funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarked for water contamination did originally include private wells, but, Kelly says, not all communities ended up having access.
More water news
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The official designation comes at a pivotal time when sustained drought threatens this precious natural resource — CRIT considers “a living entity” — running parallel to the nearly 300,000-acre reservation along the California border. -
The Valley’s two largest water providers will connect their systems, allowing water from the Salt River Project into the Central Arizona Project canal system. -
Beyond the bickering Upper and Lower Basin states, there are 30 federally recognized tribes stuck in the middle of a decades-old debate on how best to divvy the water while keeping the ever-dwindling river flowing. -
The Arizona Department of Water Resources has taken the first step toward creating a new part of the state in which groundwater is regulated. -
Arizona’s water agency is taking the first step toward establishing groundwater protections in La Paz County where water levels are dropping rapidly.
